A local man has persuaded 13 ‘Average Joes’ to strip off for a calendar celebrating ‘dad bods’, all to raise money for a good cause.
A group of men including builders, factory workers and property managers have whipped their kit off for the calendar, the profits of which will go to men’s mental health charity Andy’s Mans Club.
They were all brought together by Newton Heath-born Paul J Goddard after he paid a visit to one of the charity’s talking groups.
38-year-old Paul said that he ‘just wants to help’, while raising awareness for men’s mental health – something he has struggled with in his own life.
He said: “I’ve had anxiety, panic attacks, depression. I had a hard upbringing and a lot of trauma in life that was out of my control.
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A sneak peak of the January page of the God Bod 2022 calendar / Credit: God Bods MCR
“I suffered my first panic attack when I was about 16, and then they came so often. I pretty much had a mental breakdown at just 16 years old.
“I was ringing an ambulance every day because I didn’t know what was happening to me, no one could explain it, I was a lost cause.
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“If I can prevent that from happening to other people, then that’s what I want to do.”
The calendar itself has been shot and designed by Paul himself, using a basement bar in the Northern Quarter as a backdrop.
He found his gang of nude dudes by putting a call out on social media, but says that persuading them to strip off was a ‘b*llache’.
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“It’s not easy to get Average Joes to take their kit off!” he said.
“Some were braver than others but it ended up being a really good couple of days on the shoot.
“I’m a hella confident person, I’ve done extras work, been on stage, performed poetry. I just want people to feel the same way.
“The overall outcome I’m really pleased with. It’s quite a brave thing to do, to take your kit off, and none of us are exactly Instagram models.”
But he hopes that the calendar will champion male bodies of all shapes, sizes and ages.
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Each month has been themed around mental health to remind men the check in with themselves, and includes regular links back to Andy’s Mans Club.
Of the charity, Paul said: “Everyone’s so great there, and there are men using the centres who have been through way worse than what I went through.
“My heart went out to them. I just want to help.”
The calendars will cost £15 each, sold through the God Bod social media channels, with all profits going to Andy’s Mans Club.
Only limited numbers are available, but Paul hopes he can raise thousands this year and expand to other cities in the near future.
Feature
You can get a mobile massage treatment in your office – just like us
Thomas Melia
We’d like to introduce you to the pioneering personalised service offering massage treatments on the move at practically any location including direct from your office– including to those of us here in Manchester.
In a world where you can get practically anything delivered straight to your door, it wasn’t going to be long until some genius invented a way to get a massage from the comfort of your own office.
Named ‘London’s first digital beauty concierge’, Ruuby have been pampering the nation’s capital for almost a decade before branching out to further locations.
The gorgeous set up provided by RuubyLook at that lovely branding on the towels.They did wonders with our otherwise plain downstairs office space. (Credit: The Manc Group)
In October 2024, the company expanded beyond its domestic reach in the likes of the capital, the Cotswolds and Surrey into Europe, making its first mark Switzerland: the perfect country for both luxury and essential beauty treatments with a tailored experience.
The month following saw the group moving up North and all the way to Manchester, where people can now book professional treatments best suited to them, right on their doorstep.
If you’re feeling scepticalstill, you can take it from us here at The Manc; we couldn’t tell you how relaxing and comforting these massages are.
There are a range of treatments available and we opted for two bespoke massages, a sports massage and a deep tissue massage.
Each experience is suited to your personal needs meaning each massage therapist will be able to fine-tune their relaxation abilities to what benefits you best.
After choosing the bespoke massage that I felt would work best for me, I went into this with no prior massage experience and I came out feeling taller, broader and more refreshed. Highly recommend.
Mid-day office massage? Yes, please.How relaxing. What a shame you have to go back to work after!Credit: The Manc Group
My masseuse guided me throughout the whole process and we soon discovered that I was able to tolerate much harder pressure than I thought which helped release tension I didn’t even know I had!
The same applies to how firm you’d like your session to be, as the masseuse can help with a brief overview of your time together, but the amount of pressure you like is down to personal preference.
It’s not just massages either: there’s everything from waxing, nails and hair to physio and IV drips; how about getting Marbella ready in less than an hour with a spray tan service set up wherever you are?
As Ruuby is a mobile and remote work environment, there are a number of at any time up and down the country, meaning your next beauty slot could be as little as an hour away, find out more HERE.
Farm shops are cool now – and Albion Farm Shop is the best of the best
Daisy Jackson
At some point in life, your idea of a great day out switches from drinking and clubbing to visiting a farm shop, or a garden centre, or something similarly wholesome.
And up in the hills above Manchester is surely one of the best in the UK – Albion Farm Shop.
This Saddleworth favourite is half-cafe, half-shop, with produce all either grown right outside, or sourced as locally as possible.
And while places like Hollies Farm Shop in Cheshire pull in seriously big, glamorous crowds (maybe it’s the Molly-Mae effect), there’s something much more charming and authentic about Albion Farm Shop.
Maybe it’s the tractors parked outside, the fact the produce section is in a drafty barn, the mismatched shelves and cabinets. It’s not curated like this – it just is.
The food in the cafe itself is up there with the best British grub in the North West, and I say that with my hand on my heart.
Whether it’s a full breakfast spilling over the edge of a plate, sandwiches served in a doorstop of bread, or a full menu of burgers made with British beef cap and smoked bone marrow patties, you can’t steer far wrong.
Rag pudding at Albion Farm ShopChips with a side of bone broth gravy Those huge burgers
There are chunky chips served with a full bowl of bone stock gravy on the side (hello, this is Oldham), onion rings so big you can wear them as a bangle, and big bowls of homemade soup.
And it would be remiss of me not to mention the rag pudding, a traditional dish from this neck of the woods. Famously, she’s not a pretty menu item, but this steamed suet pastry stuffed with braised beef shin is comforting and delicious.
If you want to stick northern fare but don’t fancy rag pudding, you can also grab a wedge of cheese and onion pie, lambs liver with mash, or any number of seasonal specials (for us, it was roast pork).
There are cracking views of the surrounding countryside, a resident cat who’s usually sleeping in the entranceway, and charm packed into every square foot.
Albion Farm Shop is at Oldham Road, Delph, Saddleworth OL3 5RQ.
The resident cat at Albion Farm ShopRoast pork in the cafeThe Albion Farm Shop cafeAlbion Farm ShopInside the shop itselfThe produce barn Local cheesesBakery itemsThe produce barn
Daisy Jackson -
11th November 2021 
